Rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes are currently the most commonly marketed, by being easy to produce, easy and practical to use, and by effectively protecting the cigarettes inside.
A rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprises a group of cigarettes wrapped in a sheet of foil; and a rigid outer shell housing the group of cigarettes. The outer shell comprises a cup-shaped container housing the group of cigarettes and having an open top end; and a cup-shaped lid hinged to the container along a hinge to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position in which it opens and closes the open end respectively. A folded collar is normally connected to the inside of the container, and projects partly outwards of the open end to engage a corresponding inner surface of the lid when the lid is in the closed position.
Normally, the outer shell is substantially the same size as the group of cigarettes, so as to house the group of cigarettes firmly with no noticeable clearance. In some cases, however, the outer shell may be much larger than the group of cigarettes housed inside it, e.g. when image considerations call for an outer shell of “substantial” size, despite the small size of the groups of cigarettes; or to produce a packet of cigarettes containing fewer cigarettes using an existing standard-size blank; or to create an empty space inside the outer shell, in which to house an accessory (e.g. a lighter) or to use as an ashtray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,925A1 describes a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes comprising a container, and a lid hinged to an open top end of the container. The container and the lid each comprise a front face, a rear face, and two side faces. A collar is fixed to the inside of and projects partly from the container, and comprises three consecutive portions having one or more slits defining respective tabs, which are hinged at their hinge sides to the collar and folded inwards of the container onto the group of cigarettes to form elastic damping elements to take up the slack produced between the container and the group of cigarettes by reducing the size of the group of cigarettes with respect to the predetermined size of the inside of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,318A1 describes a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes having an insert for retaining small groups of cigarettes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,720A1 describes a rigid, hinged-lid packet of cigarettes having a collar designed to form a filler to receive a shallow group of cigarettes.
Known rigid, hinged-lid cigarette packets for small groups of cigarettes, such as those described above, have the drawback of not being producible on standard packing machines for producing rigid, hinged-lid packets of cigarettes, and so requiring the design and construction of a special packing machine.